July 2006
BBQ blog goes down in California
For a good portion of today this website’s hosting company was experiencing server issues. This temporarily led to the inability of the world to access the BBQ Junkie blog.
Sorry for the inconvenience 
Everything seems to be working now and the world can now continue celebrating the art of BBQ by reading the pages of this blog. Enjoy.
BBQ in the 805
People are always asking me where can they taste some authentic slow smoked BBQ. Without going as far as inviting them over for an afternoon of deliciousness, I usually refer them one of the local BBQ competitions. They will usually have a tasting booth available to the public. Regrettably, a few of those have been cancelled recently. Fortunately for us, many of the local BBQ teams that compete at these events also do catering and will occasionally participate in street fairs and festivals. Such is the case at this weekend’s (Friday-Sunday) Camarillo Fiesta & Street Fair just north of Los Angeles, in Ventura County.
Smokin’ Steve’s Pit Barbecue Catering will be making a weekend-long visit to the Camarillo area and selling their ultra-tasty goods. If you are kicking it in the 805 this weekend stop by and get some “authentic southern BBQ.”
If things are a little busy this weekend and you feel that the BBQ Junkie didn’t give you enough warning on this event… Or, maybe, you just try to avoid the 805 whenever possible? Smokin’ Steve’s Barbecue will be at the Pasadena Blues Festival the following weekend. BBQ & blues, what else do you need.
Smokin’ Steve’s Pit Bbq Catering
visit the Smokin’ Steve’s website
805-520-0601
Camarillo Fiesta
visit the website
Pasadena Blues Festival
visit the website
Suburban Cylinder Express
Some people prefer propane to charcoal because of the convenience that it offers. Get home, flip the switch and you are cooking dinner in less than time than it takes to say BBQ tri tip. But using propane can have it’s own set of downfalls… like, lets say, running out of gas in the middle of barbecuing dinner for your family and friends. Not to mention that those tanks can get a bit heavy and cumbersome. To save you from this embarrassment, or maybe just save your lower back from undue stress, there is a service, called Suburban Cylinder Express, available in select cities across the country that will deliver replacement tanks to your home or business.
You can have the service set up to automatically replenish your tanks or just call them anytime you need one refilled. This certainly takes the convenience of gas grilling one step closer to having the grill actually do the cooking for you. Not that I would ever want that, but if you are grilling with gas you’re nearly halfway there. Perhaps you don’t own a gas barbecue grill? Well, Grill On is also not a bad idea if you have a patio heater or two. The price for this added convenience is $24.95 +tax with a turn-in tank.
Suburban Cylinder Express
1-888-33-GRILL (47455)
Visit their website
Natural-Born Griller
Thanks Benny for referring me to this month’s edition of the AARP magazine. It features an article by Steven Slon that is written after attending Steven Raichlen’s 3-day BBQ course. He offers up some tips, recipes and a few anecdotes about his experience.
At the end of the three days it seems we’ve cooked everything that can be cooked on a grill, which is just about anything you can eat, with the possible exceptions of ceviche and sushi.
Rose Bowl BBQ competition postponed
Our competition BBQ team, Four-Q BBQ, was on schedule to compete in the Rose Bowl cook-off on the weekend of August 19th …when all of a sudden we find out that it has been cancelled. There have been a couple of other local BBQ competitions that have been called off this year. This really sucks. Local events like this only help enrich our local BBQ culture.
Here is what the R.G. Canning folks had to say:
On behalf of R.G. Canning Productions Inc. , I have the unfortunate duty of informing you that the Rose Bowl BBQ Cook Off & Olde Tyme Western Fair has been postponed untill a new venue & support structure can be located.
We at R.G. Cannning produce over 200 shows & special events every year and pride ourselves in producing quaility family events. This being our first attempt at a BBQ Cook Off we learned some lessons.
There are several reasons we are going to reschedule this event, there have been several problems with the venue itself, such as wanting each cook team to obtain a heath permit, and not wanting to let the teams overnight on the property,and some logistics problems with other areas of the event. All of these problems did not come out untill recently, and we ahd hoped to work them out but at this time it does not seem possible.
We understand that with the rising cost in our country (Gas, ECT. ) that teams dot enter untill closer to time fot the event, but as I said this was only one of our concerns, not being able to provide you guys with the proper needs for you to cook overnight and things such as that really are a major factor.
We hope to announce a new date and location ASAP. We agin thank those of you who sent in and your checks will be returned to you by the end of this week. And a big thanks to the 30+ judges that signed up.
For more info check out the R.G. Canning website.
Big Bob Gibson’s pork butt
Pork Butts about to come out of the Barbecue.
I’ve had the BBQ book Peace love and Barbecue for some time now and haven’t really dedicated myself to its content nearly enough. Today, the 4th of July 2006, I have. There is a recipe for pork butt included in this book that has garnered so much attention and picked up a few awards around the BBQ circuit that I had to give it a try.
I am speaking of Big Bob Gibson’s championship pork shoulder recipe.
I followed the recipe to the letter, except for the fact that I used pork butt instead of shoulder, and have found the results to be fantastic. I wouldn’t normally post a recipe from a book on this site, but his recipe is the worse kept secret in the world of barbecue. It can be found all over the Internet and television.
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Cleaning spareribs
Rack of ribs pre-trimming
I got back from Costco last night and started prepping six racks of ribs for the 4th of July barbecue. No, it’s not crucial that they be prepped that far in advance but it does let you front load some of your work so that you can spend more time in front of the pool or just socializing. I am barbecuing at my sister in-law’s home and it is just plain easier to come prepared and avoid making a mess all together. It also gives the ribs a bit more time to get acquainted with the rub.
The following is how I like to clean my ribs to make them nice and pretty for when company arrives. All the steps aren’t necessary, but there are a few good tips especially if you aren’t familiar with Barbequing ribs.
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BBQ menu for the 4th
I’m going to toss this one out there to anyone who wants to reply. I am curious… what everyone out there is cooking up for the 4th of July?
My cooking responsibilities are the BBQ pork butt and ribs. I am going to cook the pork butt overnight using the minion method and have it ready by the morning. Keep it warm and eat it for lunch. I’ll throw the ribs on right after I get the butts off and get the fire right. I’ll be posting pictures on Monday and Tuesday.